What Cue Ball are you using?

I played with my Taiwanese buddy again today.

He is the guy who always insists we use his measle ball.

Before we started, WE measured it against the balls in the tray and my Red Triangle cue ball. My cue ball is the same size as the other balls.

The measle ball was BIGGER than all of them, but my cue ball plays "heavier" than it, even though it is not as large.

I took a photo with my phone, but I haven't checked to see how it came out. If it is of good quality and I can crop the size of the photo down a bit, I'll post it.

I play with a measle ball at home, but the 9 ball tournament I play on Wednesdays had blue circle cue balls. I don't know if it's because pool hall cue balls get used a lot or not but the blue circle feels like it plays significantly lighter.

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SJpilot said:

I play with a measle ball at home, but the 9 ball tournament I play on Wednesdays had blue circle cue balls. I don't know if it's because pool hall cue balls get used a lot or not but the blue circle feels like it plays significantly lighter.

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Based on the results of my cue ball tests shared in an earlier post on this thread, 3 brand new blue circle cue balls averaged weighing 168 grams and 3 brand new pro cup measle cue balls averaged weighing 169 grams.

My hunch is that more likely than you being able to notice a 1 gram difference in weight between the two cue balls is how used / old each ball was. A significantly used cue ball could lose up to 5% of it's original weight from when it was new - resulting in it weighing possibly as much as 7 or 8 grams lighter, which would certainly be a significant difference you could notice when playing.

ChrisinNC said:

Red triangle ball? I’m not familiar with that one. Who is it made by and how long ago did you purchase it?

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HawaiianEye said:

It is from an old set of balls at Hawaiian Brian's.

I got it from a guy who works there.

I don't know what ball set it came with.

All I know is that it is the same size as the balls in the tray and it is heavier than the measle ball and the cue balls in the trays that are really worn down and usually smaller than the object balls in the trays.

In edit: The Red Triangle ball is mentioned in this link.

https://billiards.colostate.edu/resource_files/Aramith_CB_info.pdf

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The red triangle cue ball came with every set of Aramith tournament ball years ago.

pt109 said:

The red triangle cue ball came with every set of Aramith tournament ball years ago.

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Bob, I assume new ones have not been available for many years?

I like playing the red circle ball best. For some reason, everyone else in the rooms I frequent hate them, and they all love the measle ball.
The few random red circle cue balls are practically new compared to all the practice cue balls they're using.
They complain that you can juice up the red dot more than measle ball, but I make the same shots with either cue ball. Lol.

The room I frequent has a few options behind the counter for regulars. The house balls are measle or red dot.
I prefer the red circle Aramith personally.

ChrisinNC said:

Bob, I assume new ones have not been available for many years?

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First of all, if you’re gonna call me Bob, I’m gonna call you Harold.

I haven’t seen a triangle cue ball since the 80s,,,maybe early 90s.
And the blue Aramith logo ball came with the cheaper Premier sets.

pt109 said:

First of all, if you’re gonna call me Bob, I’m gonna call you Harold.

I haven’t seen a triangle cue ball since the 80s,,,maybe early 90s.
And the blue Aramith logo ball came with the cheaper Premier sets.

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My apologies – I mistakenly thought the post I was replying to was from Bob Jewett.

ChrisinNC said:

My apologies – I mistakenly thought the post I was replying to was from Bob Jewett.

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The long departed BALLS started that...he was on the outs with Bob and I...
...and started accusing us as being the same person.

I was mostly offended for Mr Jewitt....who has academic credentials to a high degree ,,,
...I’m a high school dropout....with an IQ equivalent to room temperature...in an igloo..

JoeyInCali said:

I have no idea why a red circle would play heavier than the measle.
The measle plays so much heavier to me.
Tougher to draw but easier to follow. It also breaks better.
My red circle only weighs 160 grams .
Balls are around 164 or so.

Red circle and red dot are different, btw.

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I would imagine there's something different in the composition of the resin that makes it play the way it does. My home cue ball is a red dot, the pool hall oddity is a red circle. Maybe after the holidays I will sneak a scale and my calipers into the pool hall and find out some details.

smarter than the average bear!

pt109 said:

The long departed BALLS started that...he was on the outs with Bob and I...
...and started accusing us as being the same person.

I was mostly offended for Mr Jewitt....who has academic credentials to a high degree ,,,
...I’m a high school dropout....with an IQ equivalent to room temperature...in an igloo..

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Maybe we should call you Yogi, you are definitely smarter than the average bear! Person either for that matter.

Merry Christmas!

Hu

ShootingArts said:

Maybe we should call you Yogi, you are definitely smarter than the average bear! Person either for that matter.

Merry Christmas!

Hu

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Merry Christmas, Hu

I have two Aramith Red Logo's (super pro's), and two Aramith Red Circle's. Weighed them on my scale.... accurate to a tenth of a gram.

Red logo....
New... 168.5 grams
Used.. 167.5 grams (This one has been used for
approximately 8 years)

Red circle...
New.. 168.5 grams (Never played it yet)
Used.. 167.9 grams (Age unknown.. came with my table.
Rough guess, 10 years old)

Notice the new red circle and the newer red logo (used less then 2 months) are the same weight. Pretty consistent in my book. If you think a Red Logo plays heavier then a red circle, the red circle you are used to must be very well worn.

weight and rebound

While we are focusing on weight I'm not sure that is the prime thing. Never weighed my measle ball. Hitting other balls I would say it is heavier. However it also rolls longer than the red circle balls I compared it to. This was in actual play.

It is possible that it was lighter but had a different cure, heavier with a different cure, I don't know. Ultimately in play it doesn't matter but for those that like to contemplate the lint in their belly button it is interesting to ponder why the ball plays differently.

Hu

ShootingArts said:

While we are focusing on weight I'm not sure that is the prime thing. Never weighed my measle ball. Hitting other balls I would say it is heavier. However it also rolls longer than the red circle balls I compared it to. This was in actual play.

It is possible that it was lighter but had a different cure, heavier with a different cure, I don't know. Ultimately in play it doesn't matter but for those that like to contemplate the lint in their belly button it is interesting to ponder why the ball plays differently.

Hu

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Good one! Lol

buckshotshoey said:

If you think a Red Logo plays heavier then a red circle, the red circle you are used to must be very well worn.

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Or a different resin composition ;-)

KMRUNOUT



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ShootingArts said:

While we are focusing on weight I'm not sure that is the prime thing. Never weighed my measle ball. Hitting other balls I would say it is heavier. However it also rolls longer than the red circle balls I compared it to. This was in actual play.

It is possible that it was lighter but had a different cure, heavier with a different cure, I don't know. Ultimately in play it doesn't matter but for those that like to contemplate the lint in their belly button it is interesting to ponder why the ball plays differently.

Hu

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No one has mentioned on this thread the critical factor that some cue balls tend to get out of round. This can particularly be the case with an older used ball, even an Aramith cue ball. This can best be determined by rolling or stroking your cue ball slowly end to end, on your perfectly level pool table to confirm that it rolls consistently the same every time. If it tends to be inconsistent in how it rolls, it very well could be your cue ball being slightly out of round and not your pool table being out of level.

I have a red circle that is on my case. Mostly use whatever ball the place I'm playing has. Exception is if I'm in a bar with valley coin up tables and their cue balls.

ShootingArts said:

While we are focusing on weight I'm not sure that is the prime thing. Never weighed my measle ball. Hitting other balls I would say it is heavier. However it also rolls longer than the red circle balls I compared it to. This was in actual play.

It is possible that it was lighter but had a different cure, heavier with a different cure, I don't know. Ultimately in play it doesn't matter but for those that like to contemplate the lint in their belly button it is interesting to ponder why the ball plays differently.

Hu

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As long as friction, speed and all other factors (same table, decent cloth, testing on the same day within a few minutes) are equal it makes sense that a heavier ball would roll farther due to its increased momentum (force x mass).

FWIW, I have an Aramith measles ball (I believe it is the PC-90 Super Aramith Pro Cup) that has relatively low miles on it (home use only, still looks real shiny) and the CB from the Aramith Premium set on my table. The latter has the Aramith logo on it that is a very dark blue, almost black. This one has far less use than the measles ball and is the one I carry with me for those instances where it can be used in league play on Valley bar boxes.

When I have been able to sub it on those tables there is a big difference in the way it performs but I would expect that due to how trashed the house CB typically is.I did recently sub it at the Eagles lodge because the house CB had a significant gouge in it, but only after convincing a measles ball hating opponent on the opposing team that mine was the same size as the house CB.

Both of mine measure 57.08 mm according to a go/no go type of measurement using a pair of digital vernier calipers. The measles ball weighs 168 g and the premium weighs 165 g on a digital postal type scale, using repeated trials.

Looking at them in bright light, the measles ball is whiter than the premium, which is more of a cream color in comparison. I have not done any sort of comparison testing between the two but 3 grams would have to make some sort of difference.

Since the local venues mostly no longer open up the coin op tables for league I am considering getting a 31-430 Aramith magnetic CB for that use. According to Pool Dawg, these weigh approximately 6 oz (168 g).